Favorite Tool

One of the questions I usually ask when talking with readers is ‘What’s your favorite tool?’ One day a reader asked me the same question. I don’t really work on cars that much these days (motorcycles are a different story), but ever since I got it the tool I’ve reached for most often is a 3/8-drive Snap-on ratchet that I bought back in the ‘80s. Tool F732A has an 11-inch handle that’s bent at a slight angle near the end. It has a flex head but the flex joint is pretty stiff, so it tends to stay where ever I put it. With the head folded all the way back, the handle’s shape and smooth finish make it a great one-handed speed wrench. I was surprised to see it’s still in the catalog thirty years after I bought it, and not surprised the price has more than doubled. Some people don’t like a flex-head ratchet, but every time I pick up this tool it’s like putting an old pair of boots; it fits like nothing else could.